Ever since we saw Rock Band 3 at E3, I’ve been stoked to actually get my hands on the game. It looked really cool in presentations and demos, but would the experience hold up once it was in my living room?

On the surface, Rock Band 3 is another iteration in the quickly growing stale music game genre. However, below the surface, there is a whole lot going on here.

First off, there’s an 83 song track list that at first glance doesn’t impress all that much. For every “Crazy Train,” there’s an equally obscure song, such as “This Bastard’s Life” by the Swingin’ Utters. Once you get into the game, you’ll find to your surprise that the track list works pretty darn well. Also, the track library is now over the 2,000 song mark, so there are plenty of other options if your favorites didn’t show up in Rock Band 3.

Still, the core of music games is the gameplay, and outside of adding new instruments and two backing vocal harmonies (straight from The Beatles Rock Band), not much has changed on that front. You’re playing colored notes on a five-note runway, just like you always have. Unless you decide to play Pro Mode, which is a whole different animal.

Pro Mode actually teaches you to play the instruments, not just match some colored notes. By the time you get up to playing Expert Pro Mode, you’ll pretty much be playing songs note for note on whichever instrument you choose. This sounds simple, but the effect is profound: you can plug in a real guitar, place your hands the same way, and actually play the song.

However, Pro Mode isn’t for everyone, and Harmonix knows it. So, is Rock Band 3 worth it for the casual music gamer who will never even touch Pro Mode? What’s changed?

There are a few core changes to Rock Band 3, and almost all of them are good. First off, the addition of a player-specific pop-up bar that allows true jump-in, drop-out gameplay, access to game options and more is a major improvement over previous Rock Band titles. It sounds minor, but anyone who’s hosted a party and had to keep returning to the band select screen to change out band members knows exactly what I am talking about.

Career mode has been completely revamped. You’re still wandering the world, playing fixed or random setlists for fans and stars, but the way you go about it is very different than it has been in the past.

Rock Band is now about completing challenges. Each of these is a sort of mini-career that consists of a few sets, each in a different venue. You even get the chance to pick what sort of setlist you’ll be playing. At one venue, we had the option of a Random 80′s setlist, a Custom Metal setlist, or a Random Rush setlist.

Each song also has bonus goals tied to it, such as playing streaks when you’re in the spotlight, or keeping a streak going while overdrive is active. Successfully completing these results in extra points and new unlocks. No matter what mode you’re playing in (even training), your band will be earning points and fans that make these unlocks come that much faster.

Speaking of unlocks, there are a bunch of new outfits, instruments and more to customize your character. They’re all handled through a new interface that even allows you to tweak your character’s appearance more than ever before. As usual, that appearance carries over onto the stage, but now you’ll also see your character doing things in the menu background, appearing in cutscenes, and generally living that rock-and-roll lifestyle (like when you wake up on top of a hotel with a wicked hangover).

In the end, Rock Band 3 is all about investment, and I’m not just talking money (although you can spend plenty of that too). Jumping into all the new instruments will run you $250 minimum, so you need to make a decision about how hardcore you want to be with this game. If you’re looking to learn to play your favorite songs on guitar, or you just want an awesome new challenge, this could definitely be the game you’ve been looking for.

The one thing missing from Pro Mode at this point is a huge song selection. For example, there are currently only 63 songs that feature keyboards. There are a ton of songs that are already in the Rock Band library that would be great for keyboard charts. We know that Harmonix has plans to refit some existing DLC for Pro Mode, we just don’t know when that will be.

If you’re not making the jump to Pro Mode, what you’re getting is 83 new tracks, a stylish interface and career mode overhaul, and a bunch of new outfits for your characters. You won’t be getting as much out of the game as if you play Pro Mode, but it’s still worth picking up.

All in all, Rock Band 3 represents the pinnacle of the music game genre to this point. It’s a tight, polished experience that showcases everything Harmonix has learned since they started with Guitar Hero. It’s so good that Harmonix could likely just spend the next few years releasing DLC for it, and no one would have any complaints.

]]>You’re bad at dancing. Know how I know? Because you’re reading this and you play video games.

And yet, Harmonix, creator of such blazingly popular rhythm games as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, must figure what all we music-game junkies really want to do is dance, for some reason. So they made Dance Central, a game that uses Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect and allowed me to embarrass myself while playing it at the Xbox Lounge at Comic Con 2010.

While it does succeed in instantly making you the butt of all number of jokes, Dance Central and Kinect do an impressive job of translating player movement to dancer movement. The game prompts you with a simple dance move, which you replicate while listening to something catchy, like No Doubt or a Lady Gaga song. Both of which were on infinite loop in the lounge.

But you really are dancing. Can’t stress that enough. This is a dancing game that doesn’t bastardize the activity with requiring you to stomp a foot pad or shake a remote in idiotic fashion.

You fight through various songs, trying to mimic the dance instructor on the screen. You’re judged on how well you mimic the motion and how well you keep the beat, and some of the moves can be pretty tough. This is a game that really makes great use of the power of the Kinect hardware – you can’t play Dance Central half way, or cheat it by doing something similar to the move that requires less effort. You can’t just stomp one foot or shake one remote. The game draws you in and you play with your whole body.

It’s best enjoyed with reckless abandon.

And though I felt a bit like a fool playing it, Dance Central is the kind of game you can fire up with a group of (good) friends (who have signed agreements stating they won’t post video of you playing on the Internet) and have a goofy, hilarious time. Watching people try to play it is as fun as failing to do so yourself.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/dance-central-look-goofy-have-fun/feed/0Rush’s 2112 Outed as Foundation of Activision’s Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rockhttp://www.gamefront.com/rushs-2112-outed-as-foundation-of-activisions-guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock/
http://www.gamefront.com/rushs-2112-outed-as-foundation-of-activisions-guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock/#commentsWed, 21 Jul 2010 17:25:48 +0000Shawn Sineshttp://news.filefront.com/?p=47899The Guitar Hero games over the last few years have done a mixed job of handling the concept of a...

]]>The Guitar Hero games over the last few years have done a mixed job of handling the concept of a music game with a story. This time out however they’re leveraging the pure awesomeness of classic rockers Rush to set the stage for the game’s seemingly “Brutal Legend”-like storyline.

“The music, the story and the journey of 2112 lends itself perfectly to the quest in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,” said Geddy Lee of Rush. “In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar and this rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors’ journey to find the Demi-God of Rock’s Legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern.”

“I love the idea of Guitar Hero; they have combined two great things – music and fun,” said Alex Lifeson of Rush. “I think it’s a great way to introduce people of all ages to music of various styles by all kinds of different bands, while providing a launching pad for kids who want to get into playing music.”

The game will include all the tracks from the band’s 2112 release integrated into the storyline as players become “rock warriors” to defeat “the beast” and resurrect rock and roll.

RUSH next to Megadeth, MUSE, Black Sabbath and KISS? Well I may just have found a reason to actually buy this and Rock Band 3 this year.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/rushs-2112-outed-as-foundation-of-activisions-guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock/feed/0Keytar Rocks Rock Band 3 October 26thhttp://www.gamefront.com/keytar-rocks-rock-band-3-october-26th/
http://www.gamefront.com/keytar-rocks-rock-band-3-october-26th/#commentsTue, 20 Jul 2010 18:46:51 +0000Shawn Sineshttp://news.filefront.com/?p=47181We’ve all seen the announcements that change was coming with Rock Band 3. We’ve even discussed the hardware MadCatz is...

]]>We’ve all seen the announcements that change was coming with Rock Band 3. We’ve even discussed the hardware MadCatz is releasing to support the new keyboard and pro guitar training mode. The only piece of information we lacked was the date the evolution would happen. At last we have that date. Rock Band 3 will hit retail October 26th, 2010.

Keeping in the Rocktober spirit retailers have already begun the pre-order feeding frenzy by offering a number of incentives to potential purchasers. Retailer incentives include:

Gamestop – 3 song DLC bonus pack featuring “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads, “My Own Summer” by Deftones, and “Blue Monday” by New Order.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/keytar-rocks-rock-band-3-october-26th/feed/0Review: Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′shttp://www.gamefront.com/review-guitar-hero-rocks-the-80s/
http://www.gamefront.com/review-guitar-hero-rocks-the-80s/#commentsWed, 25 Jul 2007 18:13:44 +0000Ron Whitakerhttp://news.filefront.com/review-guitar-hero-rocks-the-80s/The post Review: Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′s appeared first on GameFront.
]]>Like so many others, I’ve fallen deep into the Guitar Hero series. So, it was a forgone conclusion that I was going to spend the vast majority of last night playing my way through the brand new Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′s. Like a slavish addict, I made the early morning trek to the store to pick up my reserved copy of the game and counted the hours away at work until I could get my hands on the plastic guitar and begin to shred out those classic rock tunes from the 80′s.

Out of the box, it’s obvious that this version is built right on top of the Guitar Hero 2 interface. If you played that one, you’ll feel right at home in the new game. Gameplay is very familiar, and you’ll find no changes to what you’re used to here, and that’s a good thing. One of the great things about the Guitar Hero series is that anyone can pick it up and play. Sure, there’s no innovation in this release, but it wasn’t broken before, so why mess with it?

The big draw for any Guitar Hero title is the track list. The songs for Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′s are drawn right from the heart of the 80′s culture, including hair band icons Poison, Ratt and Twisted Sister. The addition of quirky favorites like I think I’m Turning Japanese and Only a Lad help to bring the decade fully into your mind. There are even some songs that aren’t known for their guitar licks, like I Ran from Flock of Seagulls, which was originally played entirely on synthesizers.

Unfortunately, I’m walking away from Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′s feeling a bit slighted. As much as the series had right in Guitar Hero 2, you’d think that keeping that formula would be way to go. For some reason, this version feels rushed. The stable of available characters has been reduced to 5, with only one unlockable character. Likewise, there are no bonus tracks provided. Yes, this was information that was given to us prior to launch, but hearing it and actually experiencing it are two different things. Rather than feeling like a solid new game experience, this feels like a trumped-up expansion pack.

On the whole, Guitar Hero Rocks the 80′s just feels like something that was slapped together in a couple of weeks, and tossed out the door in the hopes of capitalizing on the immense popularity of the series. With the stripped down extras, this feels like something that should have been an add-on, rather than a full game, and definitely not something that should have sported a $50 price tag.

Activision needs to make sure that Guitar Hero 3 returns the series to the heights that Guitar Hero 2 pushed it to. They can’t afford another mediocre release in the same time frame that Rock Band hits stores. Granted, fans of the series are going to scoop up anything with the Guitar Hero tag on it, but the good will the series has generated will quickly dwindle if this type of release becomes the norm. It may have been a better option for Activision to make this a less expensive add on (maybe in the $30 range) for the PS2, and offer it as downloadable content for gamers with the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 2.

If you’d like to check out the full track list, you can do so here on Gaming Today